Re: [Elecraft] K3 Centurion Amp
I used Centurion with K3 for a few years. Connected directly to BK, not Key in/out. No problem that I could sense. Now I use Expert 2k-fa. Now I have a real problem as the relays are bouncing. Ignacy, NO9E -- View this message in context: http://elecraft.365791.n2.nabble.com/K3-Centurion-Amp-tp7583451p7583486.html Sent from the Elecraft mailing list archive at Nabble.com. __ Elecraft mailing list Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm Post: mailto:Elecraft@mailman.qth.net This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html
[Elecraft] K3 Centurion Amp
Hi All, I have a K3 which I had been using with a little Emtron 800 w amp. It works fine and the QSK is just great. It keys in a conventional way by connecting a cable between the PTT jack on the K3 and the PTT jack on the Emtron amp. I can use the K3's keyed (which I do) or an external keyer attached to the K3. The other day I decided to try the K3 with my Ten Tec Centurion amp. The way it is keyed is kind of different. You run the line from your keyer to the AMP KEY IN jack and then the KEY OUT on the amp goes to the K3's straight key jack. This is the way they accomplish the time sequencing of the relays so there is no hot switching. This works and for the most part works well but is not quite as satisfactory as the Emtron. The QSK is a bit laggy and every so often there is a loud popping noise in the audio while I am sending. This happens mostly around 30 WPM. Slower speeds do not cause the popping quite so much. I run the AGC in the FAST position. I am wondering if I can change the AGC settings in the CONFIG menu to help this problem? There are so many of them, I'm unsure of which AGC setting to try changing. So, could someone who is smarter and more savvy than I am recommend what to do about this? I know that CW QRQ setting might help, but since you cannot use it in SPLIT mode, it is of little use while DX'ing. I will go back to the Emtron if I have to, but it has a very noisy blower and puts out about 300 to 400 watts less than the Centurion, so I'd rather use the Centurion if I can make it play better. Thanks in a advance for any enlightenment anyone can give me 73 Mike WB0SND Michael Marx sndtu...@vacuumtubes.com www.vacuumtubes.com __ Elecraft mailing list Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm Post: mailto:Elecraft@mailman.qth.net This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html
Re: [Elecraft] K3 Centurion Amp
On 1/29/2014 7:38 PM, Michael Marx wrote: Thanks in a advance for any enlightenment anyone can give me I've never seen a Centurion up close, but I own three Titan 425s and a Herc II, all of which I've used with the K3 (also K2, FT1000MP, and TS850). All combinations work fine, and I've done the hookup like you have, but it means that you can't use the rig's internal keyer. So, I tried the standard hookup rather than Ten Tec's -- Key Out of the K3 drives PTT of the amp. This works fine, because all of these rigs have a delay in the range of 8 msec from when the Key Out signal keys the amp before RF is sent. This gives the T/R relay in the amp plenty of time to pull in, so no problem. There's a limit, though, on sending speed at which CW starts to get choppy, as those 8 msec delays are subtracted from each dit and dah. In my contesting experience, I start getting complaints at about 28 WPM, and I like to contest faster than that. The other factor is that more than once, I've had to stop in the middle of a contest because the vacuum relay in the amp was wearing out from too many cycles from QSK contesting. So -- I now do all of my high power contesting without QSK. Not ideal, and I really appreciate being able to run full QSK with the KPA500. 73, Jim K9YC __ Elecraft mailing list Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm Post: mailto:Elecraft@mailman.qth.net This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html
